It was probably the most devastating attack of the Provisional IRA’s campaign and the moment ‘The Troubles’ claimed their highest profile victim: August 27 1979 when Lord Louis Mountbatten was killed in a bomb attack as he holidayed on a fishing boat off the coast of County Sligo, in the Republic of Ireland. He was Prince Philip’s uncle; the last Viceroy of India and the closest friend and mentor Prince Charles ever had. A decorated WWII hero to boot, if anyone embodied British Royalty at its finest and most decent, it was Mountbatten.
Two boys also died in the attack at Mullaghmore: 14 year-old Nicholas, the Earl’s grandson; and 15 year-old Paul Maxwell, a teenager employed as a boat boy. In recent years Paul’s father, John, has emerged as a champion of the Northern Ireland peace process. On the same day in August, the IRA killed 18 British soldiers in an ambush in the village of Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland. The attacks struck right at the very heart of the British establishment and the programme will reveal the effect on the British and Irish governments and Anglo-Irish relations.
This landmark documentary catches up with the key figures of the tragedy and assesses how well the scars have healed. Featuring in-depth interviews, news archive from the time and reconstructions, the programme looks at Mountbatten’s life and the impact of his death on the village of Mullaghmore.
Mountbatten: Return to Mullaghmore is an RTE/HISTORY co-production. It was filmed in full HD and will be broadcast on the HISTORY HD channel with the title Mountbatten: Death of a Royal.
Production for:
SKY History Channel
Transmission date:
27th August 2009
For information on this programme please contact:
